- Sydney Roosters star Brandon Smith has opened up on his plans for this season
- He is due to miss the first part of the Roosters campaign following an ACL rupture
- The Kiwi hooker’s contract is also expected to expire at the end of 2025
Brandon Smith has rubbished talk that he could jump ship from Bondi to play for the North Queensland Cowboys, with the Roosters hooker serving up a brutal admission in the process.
Smith, also known affectionately by some in NRL circles as ‘The Cheese’, enjoyed a solid season for Sydney, featuring in 20 matches before his season came to an abrupt halt in Round 26 after he ruptured his ACL during Sydney’s clash against the Canberra Raiders.
Smith, whose contract with the Roosters will expire at the end of 2025, is expected to miss the beginning of next season, but his future at the club remains uncertain, with the 28-year-old endeavouring not to think about his future.
Speaking on The Bye Round Podcast, Smith, who had played for the Cowboys at U20 level, also revealed the only scenario where he would consider walking away from the Roosters.
‘If I feel like I’m not wanted, if my skills are not wanted for this year, then you’d think about it,’ the former Melbourne hooker said.
‘But with my mind at the moment, I don’t want to go into that realm and think about that stuff.
‘Right now Roosters is my team, I’m trying to put that team first.’
The Roosters, meanwhile, are looking to bring in some fresh blood and have reportedly been keen to acquire State of Origin Hooker Reece Robson from the Cowboys, with rumours emerging Smith could be used as part of a swap deal.
Sydney could also look to move Smith on before his contract expires, but the forward has rubbished any claims he could move to the Cowboys.
‘There’s a few clubs we’ve spoken to and Cowboys wasn’t one of them. I don’t think that option’s really come up,’ Smith said.
‘(The Robson rumour) doesn’t really change anything for me at the moment.
‘I still want to be at the Roosters, still want to be around Sydney, still want to be on The Bye Round podcast, don’t want to be in Townsville in this blistering heat.
‘To be fair, they can’t force me to go there.’
The Roosters came very close to securing a berth in this year’s Grand Final, with Sydney falling short to Cheese’s former side Storm in the preliminary finals.
Smith had previously held an u20 contract wiht the Cowboys and had gone to School in Townsville.
For the Kiwi hooker, who has made 13 Test appearances for New Zealand, his dream for the season is to help the Roosters end their wait for their first premiership title in the past five years.
‘My goal for this year is not to re-sign with the Roosters. My goal is to make sure I have the best year with the Roosters I can possibly have and make sure other clubs if they are going to sign me, know what they’re going to get,’ Smith said.
‘I’m fully focused on the Roosters at the moment, whoever they’re trying to sign doesn’t really matter.
‘I want to win a comp for the Roosters this year, and I want to be a part of that.’
